A few years back when we had the Day without a Mexican in LA (May Day Immigration March) with a million strikers marching down Wilshire Blvd, a westsider said to me that they loved being able to get to all their appointments on time that day. There was no traffic.
Well, today I can relate to that. I made it from Boyle Heights to the Fairfax exit in 15 minutes!! Woo hoo!! I think I broke the mythical record of “Everything in LA being 20 minutes away”.
Also I love the Metro’s advice to westsiders “Plan ahead, avoid the area or stay home.” LOL!
Avoid the westside? Done and done.
Carmaggedon – Yes. Environmental Racism – Absolutely!
Having just lived the best transportation public relations campaign since the 1984 Olympics dubbed Carmaggedon – the closure of the Interstate 405 in West Los Angeles, I cannot help myself but to think that there is still environmental racism in government.
Beginning May 2011, every major politician, newscast, sig alert throughout Southern California,governmental mass e-mail blast announced that Interstate 405 would close between I-10 and US-101 for one weekend — between July 15 – 17, 2011. Motorists throughout the region were asked (or scared into) staying home to avoid the traffic nightmare that would affect the Westside; impacting the people in the wealthiest part of the City. It worked marvelously! Everyone, not only in the Westside, but throughout the region stayed home and traffic was the best it’s ever been.
All the while, the REAL carmaggedon was being planned — but this time not in the Westside but in the Eastside of the city. An area that is comprised of underrepresented, low income, predominantly Spanish-speaking Latinos: Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, South Gate, Downey, Commerce and East Los Angeles. Beginning Friday, August 5 (yes only one weekend from now) FULL FREEWAY CLOSURE of Interstate 710, between Interstate 105 and Atlantic Boulevard will be conducted and not for just one weekend – BUT FOR 10 WEEKENDS! Where are the sig alerts announcing this closure? Where are the “every 5-minute†Carmaggedon radio updates regarding this drastic freeway closure plan? Where are the politicians urging people to stay home?
I guess it doesn’t matter because the stakeholders affected in this part of town don’t have a lot of money and don’t even speak English, right?
This is just one of example of the subtle but very real fact that environmental racism still rules the day in Los Angeles.